


Hey Noct,

by That_Random_Kid



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Also minor angst, Canonical Character Death, Chocobros ft. Roadtrip and Photos, Did you know you could fish in the afterlife?, F/M, Gen, Luna And Pryna are here too!, Post-Canon, Post-Final Fantasy XV, Self-Indulgent, Wild speculations about Lucis post-ffxv, a hint of fluff?, also hugs, but for like three seconds, other characters show up, sorta?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26134105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Random_Kid/pseuds/That_Random_Kid
Summary: A year after Noctis purged the darkness from Eos, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio get together to celebrate his birthday the only way they know how.A road trip.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret/Noctis Lucis Caelum (Implied)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	Hey Noct,

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been wanting to write a post-ffxv fic ever since I beat the game a while back, and Noct’s birthday gave me the perfect excuse (you can probably tell just by reading the ending) XD
> 
> Hope you all enjoy.

Light reflected brightly off the Regalia’s exterior as it traveled under the morning sun. This morning sky, no longer indifferentiable from the pitch black of night, blended into a brilliant amber and soothing lavender. A gentle breeze blew past the three occupants of the car as they took in the scenery around them. 

Even after a year passed since the return of dawn, traces of the world of ruin were still visible to anyone that looked hard enough. Whether it be from the larger, more common Havens, or the barbed wire fences surrounding long-abandoned outposts. Even after a year Eos still struggled to get back on its feet.

The three men in the car were no different. Neither escaped the world of ruin without scars, be it physical or emotional. They had, after all, lost their closest friend—no—their brother. All to bring light back to a world filled with nothing but darkness. Although, knowing this did not make the grief any easier.

Being together like this… It isn’t something the men do often. After all, seeing the empty seat in the Regalia was a glaringly obvious reminder that their former party of four had now been reduced to three. But they had a promise to keep with their old friend, and who were they to break promises to someone so dear to them?

_"Hey princess, you plan on forgetting ‘bout us once you and Luna get hitched?”_

_A snort escaped the black-haired prince’s lips. “As if. I couldn’t forget about you guys even if I tried.”_

_Prompto perked up upon hearing Noctis’s answer. “How about we all meet up—Y’know, the same day once a year. Do some kind of road?”_

_A smile etched its way onto Ignis’s face as he gave a firm nod in agreement. “Seems acceptable. What would you say Noct?”_

_"My birthday it is then.”_

Prompto leaned against the door as he stuck his head out the window of the passenger seat. Blue eyes scanned their surroundings as his eyes settled on a familiar settlement not too far off the dirt path. Pointing it out to Ignis, the green-eyed male relented and informed Gladio to turn the car towards a nearby parking lot.

Gladio was the first to get out of the car and made his way to the truck to pick up a bag of products Ignis deemed essential. Scanning through the bag to make sure nothing was damaged, Gladio spied a handful of first aid kits, some key ingredients bagged away, and some flashlights. Satisfied with the condition of their bagged items, Gladio slipped the bag over one shoulder just in time to see a flashing white light.

Oh? So Prompto was already starting to take photos. That’s good. Maybe they’ll save some to show Noct once their trip was over.

The walk from the Regalia to Wiz Chocobo Post was short, yet nostalgic. It seemed like only yesterday that the Regalia had been taken by the Empire and they had been here hunting down Deadeye so that Noctis and Prompto could finally ride chocobos.

“What do you say we see if there’s a hunt for a Behemoth? For old times sake?”

“I suppose we have time to spare.” Ignis easily agreed.

“I’m game!” Came Prompto’s quick and bright response.

With that settled, the three men made their way to Wiz. After brief small talk and catching up, the part was surprised to learn of the vast number of hunts for monsters, not just Behemoths. Since darkness fell and the Post had been overrun by demons, Wiz had to abandon the place, only now having the resources and security to come back. Due to this, there were still many monsters roaming about the once-abandoned Post. Yet another reminder of the world of ruin. And of Noctis’s–

No. None of that today. It was Noctis’s birthday after all. If he were here, he’d complain about the ‘depressing atmosphere.’ 

Renting some chocobos from Wiz, the three men made their way back to the Regalia to pick up their weapons. 

When dawn returned to Eos, it wasn’t only the daemons and darkness that were cast away, but magic as well. At first, the men believed it was only them. After all, once Regis passed, the Glaives were no longer able to use their magic, so it was only fair to assume after Noctis’s passing as well that they would no longer have access to his Armiger. However, it seemed that it was no only them. No one on Eos was able to use any sort of magic.

It was only a few months later that Ignis figured out why. When Noctis absorbed the Crystal’s powers to vanquish the Starscourge, he took all the Crystal’s magic. It was the Crystal that granted the people of Eos magic, and since it had taken all the Crystal’s power to end the Scourge, there was no magic left for the people of Eos. But the people of Eos were able to adapt and like awakening from the dream to reality, they pushed past the inconveniences of no magic and strived to live a life free from the Crystal’s powers.

No Crystal meant no more meddling from the Astrals. And after everything he had been through, Ignis gladly took comfort in that fact. 

Ignis was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a Behemoth’s roar a few miles from where he was. Quickly pinpointing the general direction, Ignis prompted for his two companions to follow him. 

It hadn’t taken too long to kill the beast. A few well-targeted strikes at its weaker points left it vulnerable to a group strikes, rinse and repeat, and a few moments later, the Behemoth was killed. Prompto was quick to take a picture of the Behemoth’s defeat. Gladio even humored him was a pose in front of the fallen beast.

Satisfied with a job well done, they made their way back to Wiz. While Ignis collected their payment for the hunt, Prompto got a sudden call from Cindy. Flustered, Prompto fumbled with his phone before Gladio plucked it from his hands and answered.

“Hey Cindy, how’s –” Before Gladio could even finish his sentence, Cindy interrupted him. “The Vessel’s wait’n for you in Cape Caem.”

“We’re doing great Cindy, thanks for asking,” Gladio responded dryly.

“Ah, sorry ‘bout that. Paw Paw’s and I are real busy with some new hunters. It’s great to hear y’all are alright!”

Prompto, stealing his phone back from Gladio replied assumingly, “Don’t worry about it, Cindy! The big guy’s just got a stick up his ass.”

Gladio’s protests were drowned out by Cindy’s laughter. “Y’all take care of yourselves now, ya hear?”

Prompto chuckled, “Yeah, will do.” The line disconnected just as Ignis returned, a bag of what seemed to be groceries in his hands. He raised a brow curiously, “Do I want to know?”

Gladio patted him on the shoulder as he picked one of the bags from Ignis’s hands, “Probably not.”

Ignis sighed. “I’ll take your word for it then.” Prompto couldn’t stop laughing all the way back to the car.

* * *

The ride to Cape Caem was, for the most part in silence; broken only by Prompto asking to stop so he could take pictures, or by Ignis asking for (yet another) can of Ebony. Gladio regrated not forcing Prompto to take the wheel to Caem. It’d been a while since he got the chance to read one of his books in the Regalia. But nothing he could do about that now. 

Prompto let out a loud whoop as he spotted the lighthouse, eager to get out of the car. Gladio snickered at his friend’s reaction. Even after all these years, Prompto was still a kid at heart.

Beating Gladio to the truck was Ignis who had already opened the darn thing and grabbed onto three pairs of fishing rods. Gladio grinned and got a hold of the various lines and lures they were going to need for their fishing trip. 

The fishing trip had (oddly enough) been Prompto’s idea. After all, if there was one thing Noctis loved more than them and Luna, it was fishing. Kid’s eyes lit up like a kid in a toy shop whenever the group stumbled upon a fishing spot during their journey. And what better way to honor his memory than to do what he loved best.

By the time Ignis and Gladio finally lunged their gear to the port, Prompto was already waiting for them behind the helm. Gladio set down their equipment in the boat’s storage and sat down on one of the cushioned seats.

Finally. A moment of peace so he could read. Pulling a book out of his supplies, Gladio leaned back against his seat and started to read. He could vaguely hear the sound of a can opening. Figuring it was Ignis with his Ebony again, Gladio didn’t spare it a glance. Ignis really needed to lay off the coffee.

The beeping of a radar was what eventually pulled Gladiolus’s attention from his novel as he looked up to the helm. Prompto just dropped the anchor setting them just a few minutes from Galdin Quay and Angelgard. Looks like Prompto wasn’t as scrawny as he seemed. Where was he hiding that muscle?

A memory from years ago suddenly flashed through Gladio’s mind at the thought.

_“Damn, this place is hot!”_

_“Just take your shirt off.”_

_“Like you? No way.”_

_“What, too embarrassed to show your scrawny body?”_

_“Hey, I’ve got muscle! You just can’t see it.”_

_“If you say so.”_

Six above he missed his annoying yet loveable ward. Gladiolus sometimes finds himself wondering if they knew would anything have changed. If they knew that in order to fulfill the prophecy, Noct had to die, would they have been able to change it? Would they have been able to save Noct from his fate? 

Almost as if sensing his thoughts Prompto appeared before him snapping his fingers in front of Gladio’s face. “C’mon big guy.” Prompto handing a fishing rod to Gladio before turning towards the front of the boat. “These fish won’t catch themselves.”

“I’m afraid we only have a few hours before sunset. If we wish to procure this fish by the end of the day we must move with haste.” Ignis informed them as he felt around his rod. Prompto shared an enthusiastic nod while shifting Ignis to face the sea. 

Despite himself, Gladio found himself grinning like an idiot, “Don’t wanna disappoint the princess now do we?” His two closest friends shared a laugh as they threw their lines in unison. For a good ten minutes no fish bit any of their lines. Ignis suggested changing their lures but Prompto insisted that he did his research and chose the lures accordingly.

Before Gladio or Ignis could say otherwise, a yelp escaped Ignis’s lips. Prompto was interrupted from his ‘I told you moment’ by Gladio who told him to guide Ignis’s rod. With Prompto yelling out the changes in the fish’s direction, Ignis reeling the fish in, and Gladio making sure the tension on the line wasn’t going to cause it to snap, it took them 20 minutes to reel in the fish.

It wasn’t until Gladio managed to drag the fish over the edge of the boat onto the deck that all three men caught themselves staring at the fish in disbelief. Flopping on the floor before them was a Murk Grouper. The very same fish Noctis managed to reel in by himself in under five minutes. 

Sweet Shiva. Forget about King of Kings, Noctis’s true title should have been King of Fish! How the hell did Noct make fishing look so easy and effortless?! Gladio swore to himself from that moment onwards to never call Fishing an old man sport ever again.

By the time the fish finally ceased flopping on the deck, Prompto returned with his camera in hand. Gladio raised an uninterested eyebrow at Prompto’s implication. Ignis, who was painfully unaware of Prompto’s wish was nudged to stand beside Gladio as Prompto slung his arm around Gladio’s shoulder. The amber-eyed male playfully sighed and threw his arm around Ignis as well. Prompto shared his million-watt grin and slung his arm around Ignis’s other shoulder.

The three continued smiling long after the flash of the camera.

* * *

Dawn peeked over the edge of the horizon as Prompto trekked over to a cliff with the perfect outlook of Insomnia. It was why Ignis suggested they dig Noctis’s grave here. That way Noctis could forever watch the people he sacrificed himself to protect. Now he could witness how Lucis grew back to its former glory and how his people prospered.

Prompto still remembered the conversation between them, Cor and some other Kingsguard members. When Ignis brought it up, the Kingsguard argued that they should follow tradition. Tradition dictated that kings of Lucis were to be buried in Royal Tombs, safeguarded by their Royal Arms. Surprisingly enough it was Cor who spoke up, what was even more surprising was when he agreed with Ignis.

“Noctis wouldn’t want to be remembered as a king. He would want to be remembered as a friend…” Cor began while he looked around the room. “As a brother.”

And that was that. Many of the Kingsguard, glaives, and hunters had the chance to personally met Noctis and well… While he did grow up to fulfill his role as King of Kings, all he really wanted was to be a normal guy, he sure acted like it.

With the matter settled, Ignis recalled a cliff he had taken Noctis to while they were young. It was one that had a great view of Insomnia with a Haven nearby where they would stargaze. The burial was small, only the three of them, Cor, Iris, Cid, Cindy, and a handful of Kingsguard attended (Arenea did show up after the burial to pay her respects). The Royal Tomb was still built, and Noctis’s Engine Blade sat as his Royal Arm, but the rest of it was empty. For all anyone who didn’t attend the burial knew, the Royal Tomb was where Noctis was buried.

Gladio and Ignis managed to visit Noct’s grave before they left on the road trip leaving Prompto to visit afterward and tell Noctis all about their trip. Before he arrived, he had Gladio and Ignis help him pick out a picture to leave by the grave; after all, they all had a copy. It was only fair that Noct got one too.

Setting the photo down on the gravestone in front of him, Prompto sat down in front of the stone slab.

“Hey Noct. Happy thirty-first birthday!” A laugh. “Astrals you’re so _old_ now! But I’ll catch up soon enough.”

Once Prompto calmed down, he began to explain the trip he, Ignis, and Gladio went on. He talked about the Behemoth hunt they took and about the Chocobos they rode back to the Regalia. “The Regalia, can you believe it?!” Prompto threw his arms behind him and leaned against them. “Old man Cid pulled a miracle and fixed her right up! Don’t worry about her though, we’ll take good care of her.”

Then he explained their small detour to Lestallum where they ran into Arenea while they were on a hunt for some gill for supplies. Turns out she’s been living out in Lestallum with Biggs and Wedge, lending a hand where she can. Prompto was glad she’s been handling herself, but then again, he had no doubts that there was anything she couldn’t overcome.

After they refueled and restocked, they went to Caem where they had a small photo op. From there they boarded the Royal Vessel and made their way to Galdin Quay. They stopped somewhere equidistant from Galdin and Angelgard to fish. “We caught a Murk Grouper! By ourselves! Can you believe it?” Prompto exclaimed while exaggerating the size of the fish, despite knowing Noctis caught one himself.

Prompto was interrupted from his story by the vibrations of his phone. A text from Dave?

 _Monster outbreak near Hammerhead._  
_Could use some backup._

Prompto shook his head in mock disbelief as he muttered to himself, “and here I said I wanted the day off today.” A melancholic smile formed on Prompto’s face as he spared one last look at his first friend’s grave. 

“Duty calls. I’ll catch up with you later.” With that Prompto swiftly turned heal and made his way to his bike parked at the base of the cliff. 

What he didn’t notice as he left was a black dog who scurried over to the grave. He picked up the photograph left by the grave and disappearing into what one could call another world.

* * *

A man dressed in all black sits at the edge of a dock. His feet dipped in the cool waters, not caring for his wet shoes. He spots a school of fish nearby and aims his lure right in the center. Content with its position, the man waits for a fish to bite.

Behind him is a woman wearing a long white dress. By her side was a small white dog resting on her lap. The woman brushes her fingers through the dog’s fur as she laughs at a joke the man made about the dog loving her more than him. She pushes him in response causing him to drop his rod into the water. The man lets out a playful sigh before fishing his rod out of the water and recasting the line.

His patience paid off, as not even a few moments later, a fish bit his line. The man reeled in the line with as much strength as he could, pausing his reels when he felt too much tension on the line. A few careful reels later and the man’s deep blue eyes widened at what, or rather, who he caught.

On the other end of his line was a familiar black dog. Lifting the dog out of the water, the man chuckled warmly as the dog licked his face. As if sensing her companion’s presence, the white dog suddenly sprung up from the woman’s lap and scurried over to their new arrival.

The two dogs barked in unison and chased after one another. The scenery around the man and woman suddenly changed from the dock on a pound to a wide-open meadow filled with Sylleblossom. The man knelt down and picked one of the blue flowers before placing it against the woman’s ear, tucked behind her blonde hair.

Brushing his thumb over her cheek, the man leaned towards her face, only to be interrupted by the black dog tumbling into him. The woman laughed at his fall as the man tried to soothe his aching back. The dog barked once calling for both their attention. It was then that they noticed a photograph tucked a bandana on the dog’s front leg.

Carefully plucking the photo from the dog, the man turned it over and felt his breath got stuck in his throat. 

In the photo were three men with their arms thrown over each other’s shoulders and a familiar fish sitting in front of them. Standing to the left was a tall man with several scars, yet there was a glint of kindness in his eyes. In the middle was another man, wearing glasses, he held the two men before him as close as he possibly could. The final man had quite the goatee growing, his grin lit his entire face. Each man had a fishing rod in their hands and seemed to be standing on a boat overlooking an island where the man in black had remembered spending ten years slumbering.

Tears welled up in his blue eyes as he read the message scrawled on the bottom of the photo.

_Hey Noct, Happy Birthday! Don’t worry, we’re still walking tall!_

The woman wrapped her arms around the man’s shoulders as he rested against his back and murmured soft words. The man rested his head in his hands as he spoke softly to his brothers in another world.

“You guys really are the best.”


End file.
